Milk replacer and dry feed compositions and methods

ABSTRACT

Improved milk replacer and dry feed compositions for young mammals are provided that employ a high quality inedible egg product to minimize or eliminate the need for milk source ingredients or plasma-enhanced food compositions. These improved compositions include one or more high quality inedible egg products in an amount from about 1% to 100% of the total weight of the composition. The balance of these improved compositions may consist of any ingredient(s) in any combination when such composition is capable of meeting or exceeding the nutritional requirements of the species to be fed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/342,935, filed on Jun. 29, 1999, now U.S. Pat No. 6,348,223which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to synthesized foodstuffs for youngmammals and more particularly to milk replacer and dry feed compositionscontaining high quality inedible egg products as the main ingredient andto the method of producing such milk replacer and dry feed compositions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that in the early stages of life for a mammal, mother'smilk is the ideal source of nutrition. Unfortunately for many youngmammals, whether by tragedy or by economic necessity, as in the case ofanimals whose milk is commercially valuable, mother's milk is not alwaysavailable. In these instances, the use of a milk replacing compositionis required.

There exist many formulations for foodstuffs for neo-natal animals thatincorporate dried milk products and vitamin and mineral supplements. Thecommon feature of these prior art compositions is that they derive mostof their protein content from a milk source ingredient such as skimmilk, buttermilk, whole whey, delactosed whey, casein, milk albumin,and/or whey protein concentrate. Milk source ingredients are usedextensively in traditional milk replacers because the existing healthdata relating to young mammals fed milk replacer diets based on non-milksource ingredients is poor. That is, animals fed with prior art milkreplacers having protein sources other than milk proteins are known tosuffer from protein deficiencies that can potentially result indebilitating illnesses. This data suggests that only milk-based milkreplacers can be used to obtain a healthy young animal.

Conventional milk-based replacers suffer from a number of drawbacks,however. One such drawback relates to the high cost of milk sourceingredients. This cost issue presents the conundrum that, while milkreplacer compositions are designed to obviate the need for milk in thosecases when the mother's milk is commercially important, the milkreplacer composition still must use some amount of milk products inorder to keep a young animal healthy.

Additionally, previous milk replacer composition formulas are notdesigned with the transition from milk to solid food in mind. This factmakes it difficult to wean animals fed with these prior art compositionsfrom the liquid diet. If the young animal will not eat solid food rightaway, the costs of raising the animal increase significantly. This isbecause prior art milk replacers are more expensive than “adult” dietsand must be hand fed. The most glaring drawback of prior art milkreplacers, however, is that they are not nutritionally equivalent to,much less superior to, the mother's milk, so young animals fed thesediets frequently fail to thrive and are left susceptible to disease.

In the case of piglets, economic factors encourage farmers to wean babypigs from the sows as early after birth as possible, which in many casesmeans as early as ten days after birth. The physiological changesoccurring in such young animals make it extremely important for theproducer to control disease and provide correct nutrition to ensure ahealthy piglet. The same economic factors driving early weaning drivethe producer's need to put weight on the pigs as rapidly as possiblewithout sacrificing the health of the animal. Piglets are highlysensitive to stress and shock, and many animals fed traditional dietsfail to thrive when transferred from the farrowing house to the weaningand growing area.

This failure to thrive is an acute and persistent problem and manifestsitself most frequently in the form of diarrhea and weight loss. Veryyoung piglets are unable to maintain a low stomach pH, which facthampers their ability to fully digest their feed and to kill undesirablebacteria that enter their intestines. The undigested food enters thelarge intestine, where the undesirable bacteria feed on it and causediarrhea. The sick piglets have little desire to eat, and they canquickly decline to below their birth weight if they are not permittedaccess to antibody-containing mother's milk. The health and weight ofthe sow, however, can be threatened if she is made to suckle the pigletsfor too long.

In the case of dairy calves, the susceptibility to disease is an acuteand persistent problem and manifests itself most frequently in the formof a disease known as “scours” or diarrhea. Calf scours causes morefinancial loss to herdsmen than any other disease-related problem theyencounter. Because the problem of scours is so prevalent, many attemptshave been made to formulate a feed supplement that minimizes theincidence of scours. These previous efforts include, among others, theaddition of pregelatinized starch, optimizing the ratio of casein towhey proteins, forming soluble gels of dairy by-products, and usingtreated legumes to form protein and starch digestion products from whicha feed may be manufactured.

These latter formulations provide some relief from the scours problem,but do not eliminate it, nor do they work particularly well to putweight on the young animal. As well, once a calf on a prior art dietgets scours, the farmer will have to administer expensive antibioticsand/or feed supplements that may or may not save the animal's life. Thisis because most, if not all, prior art milk replacer compositions cannotbe fed to an animal with scours because they are so nutritionallydeficient that they would only increase the animal's problem. Theseprior art compositions therefore leave significant room for improvement.

Some prior art milk replacer compositions have attempted to use eggsand/or modified egg products as the protein component. Because theseprior art compositions employ a low quality and/or chemically modifiedegg fraction, however, these compositions are not able to equal oroutperform milk protein-based compositions in terms of young animalweight gain and overall health of the young animal. Examples of thesecompositions can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,268 to Cardon et al.,U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,874 to Jungvid, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,643,622 and5,656,309 to Sawhill, and European Patent No. 426,211 to Carrell et al.

This prior art leaves room for improvement in terms of composition,manufacturing method, and feeding method. The present invention isaddressed to such improvement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to food compositions for young mammalsthat consist essentially of a high quality inedible egg product orproducts in an amount from about 1% to 100% by weight and comprise atleast one ingredient selected from the group consisting of milkproducts, cereal grain or cereal grain products, fruit pectin, othercarbohydrates, fiber, fat, urea, electrolytes, vitamins, minerals,yeast, and other animal or vegetable protein sources as the balance ofthe composition. The food composition may be dry or liquid and may bepelletized or unpelletized. If the food composition is liquid, or if itis dry and made liquid by the addition of water or other ingredients,then it may be used as a milk replacer. If the food composition is notliquid or not made so by the addition of liquid ingredients, it may beused as a first solid food for a young mammal. One method of feeding theinstant food compositions comprises feeding the milk replacercomposition first, then transitioning the young mammal to the firstsolid food composition.

The provision of high quality inedible egg in the combinations of thepresent invention imparts desirable antimicrobial activity and adesirable amino acid profile to the foodstuffs. These food compositionsallow a young mammal to enjoy levels of health and growth at leastequivalent to those that it would enjoy if it were raised on itsmother's milk. Also, by providing a first solid food composition that issimilar in formulation to the milk replacer on which an animal israised, animals may be weaned more quickly from the liquid diet andsubstantial labor savings in terms of food preparation and hand feedingmay be enjoyed thereby. Further, the provision of high quality inedibleegg in the combinations of the present invention provides a milkreplacer with significant cost advantages over other milk replacerformulations.

These and other objects, advantages, and features are accomplishedaccording to the compositions and methods of the following descriptionof the preferred embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a graph of the average daily weight gain of calves fed thecomposition of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to the preferred embodimentsthereof, and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of theinvention is thereby intended, such alterations, modifications, andfurther applications of the principles of the invention beingcontemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to whichthe invention relates.

Before proceeding further, those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that any young mammal that requires easily digested nutrientsas a replacement for mother's milk and/or that would benefit fromsupplemental nutrition during the early stages of its life will benefitfrom being fed the diet program as hereinafter more fully described. Itis therefore intended that the scope of the present invention includeand comprise diet programs adapted to meet the nutritional requirementsof any such young mammal. This is so regardless of the fact that themajority of the following description discusses the present invention interms of particular formulations for and the benefits of feeding theseformulations to young calves and young pigs.

The present invention concerns the use of a high quality inedible eggproduct as a primary source of protein, and in the most preferredembodiment as a primary source of nutrition, in a diet for younganimals. Therefore, one aspect of the present invention concerns amethod of manufacturing a high quality inedible egg product.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the high qualityinedible egg product is used in a liquid milk replacer. In anotherpreferred embodiment of the present invention, the high quality inedibleegg product is used in a dry feed for use as a first solid food for ayoung animal. According to another aspect of the present invention,there is provided a diet program for young animals comprising a milkreplacer composition and a dry feed wherein the milk replacercomposition is fed to the young animals first, then the dry feed isoffered to the young animals during the weaning stage of development,and finally the dry feed becomes the young animals' first solidfoodstuff.

The high quality inedible egg product that forms the basis of all thepreferred diet compositions of the present invention begins with“inedible” eggs. Inedible eggs are defined to include those whole raweggs, hard boiled eggs, egg yolks, egg albumen, and all other liquid ordry egg fractions that the United States Department of Agriculture(“USDA”) has mandated cannot be used in human foods or for humanconsumption. Often the eggs that become inedible eggs are cracked,dirty, or misshapen. The term “inedible egg product” as used with thisinvention broadly encompasses any and all types of inedible eggs towhich a dye has been added in conformance with USDA requirements.

The high quality of the inedible egg products contemplated for use withthe present invention is obtained by employing the following method.Eggs destined to become inedible eggs are obtained, the shells broken,and a denaturant dye added to clearly show that the product is not forhuman consumption. Those of skill in the art will understand whatclasses of compounds may be used as the denaturant dye without affectingthe nutritional analysis or makeup of the inedible egg. Next, theeggshells are removed by centrifuging the liquid egg through a filter,or by any other method known or contemplated for accomplishing theremoval of shell debris from liquid egg.

The liquid egg obtained thereby is then held in refrigerated storagetanks at a temperature of about 45° F. or less until it can be deliveredto the heat-pasteurizing unit, but preferably for not longer than aboutfive days. Once the liquid egg is in the pasteurizer, it is heated to atemperature of at least 140° F. and held at that temperature for atleast 4.5 minutes in order to kill all pathogenic and spoilage-inducingmicroorganisms. Again, those of skill in the art will recognize that theremoval and/or growth inhibition of pathogenic and spoilage-inducingmicroorganisms may be accomplished by methods other than heat treatment,and such methods are intended and contemplated to come within themeaning of the term “heat pasteurizing” as it is used with the presentinvention.

At this point in the present manufacturing method, the manufacturerdecides whether the inedible egg product will remain liquid or will bedried to produce a powder. If it is to remain liquid, the egg product iseither packaged immediately or returned to a refrigerated storage tankuntil it can be packaged in an airtight and watertight container. If itis to become a dry inedible egg product, then the inedible egg productis either spray dried immediately or returned to a refrigerated storagetank until it can be spray dried.

The inedible egg product may then be spray dried without any additivesaccording to those procedures known in the art of spray drying, or afree-flow or anti-caking agent may be added to the inedible egg productto prevent the formation of hard lumps in storage and then the eggproduct and free-flow agent spray dried. Most preferably, the moisturelevel of the resultant dry inedible egg product is between about 2 andabout 5 percent.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that the use of a spray dryeris particularly desirable in that it minimizes damage to the proteinscontained in the inedible egg product and therefore yields a very highquality inedible egg product. This dry inedible egg product may then bepackaged in airtight and watertight containers for shipment and sale.

In the most preferred embodiments of this invention, whole inedible eggsare used to manufacture the high quality inedible egg product in orderto obtain the full nutritional and flavor values possessed by wholeeggs. The present high quality inedible egg product may be provided in aliquid or a dried form. The liquid form is preferably refrigeratedduring storage, although those of skill in the art will recognize thatroom temperature storage may be accomplished by methods known in the artsuch as chemical preservation and/or canning. Also, the liquid form maybe blended with other preferred ingredients for convenience in storage,preparation, and feeding. The dried form does not require refrigerationduring dry storage. The dried form may be reconstituted with water orother suitable liquid ingredients to form a liquid milk replaceraccording to the present invention, and it may also be dry blended withother preferred ingredients for convenience in storage, preparation, andfeeding.

A preferred liquid milk replacer embodiment of the present inventioncomprises the high quality inedible egg product in an amount from about1% to 100% by weight of the composition. The high quality inedible eggingredient is typically present in the milk replacer in the range ofabout 25% to 100% by weight, and more preferably from 36% to 65% byweight.

A preferred dry feed embodiment of the present invention comprises thehigh quality inedible egg product in an amount from about 1% to 100% byweight of the composition. The high quality inedible egg ingredient istypically present in the feed in the range of about 25% to 100% byweight, and more preferably from 36% to 65% by weight.

The balance of the present inventive milk replacer and dry feedcompositions, when those compositions comprise less than 100% highquality inedible egg product, may consist of any desired ingredients inany desired combination capable of supplying the nutritionalrequirements of a young mammal, including, but not limited to, milkproducts, cereal grain or cereal grain products, fruit pectin, othercarbohydrates, fiber, fat, urea, electrolytes, vitamins, minerals,yeast, and other animal or vegetable protein sources.

As herein employed, the term “milk products” refers to and includesfluids secreted by the mammary glands of lactating female animals forthe nourishment of their young and all fractions thereof and productsderived therefrom. By way of example, and not of limitation, some milkproducts contemplated by and intended to come within the scope of thepresent invention include skim milk, buttermilk, whole whey, delactosedwhey, casein, milk albumin, whey protein concentrate, whey permeates,whey sweet water, raw milk, powdered milk, and curd.

The term “cereal grain or cereal grain products” as used herein refersto the seeds or fruits of various food plants including the cerealgrasses and other plants such as the soybean, and non-byproductfractions and derivatives thereof. By way of example, and not oflimitation, some cereal grains contemplated for use with thecompositions of the present invention include oats, barley, wheat, corn,cottonseed, flax, hops, rice, rye, safflower seed, sunflower seed,almonds, walnuts, peanuts, buckwheat, and broomcorn.

“Other carbohydrates” as used in the present description describes aclass of compounds formed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that iscapable of providing an easily digested ready source of energy to ananimal. The present invention contemplates the use of any compoundmeeting the above description that is suitable for use in an animalfeed, including complex sugars derived from various sources; simplesugars such as dextrose, fructose, galactose, and glucose; molasses; andstarch. The foregoing list is provided for purposes of example only, andno limitation of the scope of the present invention is intended thereby.

The term “fiber” as used with the present invention refers to variousfood byproducts that provide an animal with roughage that is beneficialfor the animal's digestive tract. Useful fibers can be brans, hulls,shells, or screenings of grains, seeds, or nuts. Screenings are obtainedfrom cleaning grain and seeds, and include light and broken grains,agricultural seeds, weed seeds, hulls, chaff, straw, milldust, sand, anddirt. Some examples of other fiber sources include oat hulls, almondhulls, barley mill run, bean hulls, peanut skins, rice hulls, peanuthulls, nutshells, grape pomace, oat shorts, wheat shorts, wheatmiddlings, flax hulls, and soybean mill run. Again, these particularfiber sources are provided as examples only, and no limitation of thescope of the present invention is intended.

“Fat” refers to and describes any animal-edible compound capable ofsupplying the animal with a substantial amount of energy upon digestionof the compound. Some examples of useful fats include edible fats andoils from animal and vegetable sources such as mono-, di-, ortri-glycerides of various fatty acids such as stearic, palmitic, oleic,linoleic, lauric, and others. Animal-edible fats and oils can alsoinclude complex lipids such as phospholipids including fatty acid estersof glycerol phosphate or lecithin. Other fats that may be used includethe oils, tailings or residues of soybean oil, corn oil, tallow, fishoil, coconut oil, palm oil, reclaimed restaurant fats and greases,acidulated soap stocks, and acidulated fats and oils. The foregoing listis provided for purposes of example only, and no limitation of the scopeof the present invention is intended thereby.

The term “electrolytes” as used herein refers to a class of chemicalsthat will provide ionic conductivity when dissolved in water or whenplaced in contact with water. Suitable examples of this class ofcompounds include sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and calciumcarbonate. These particular electrolyte sources are provided as examplesonly, and no limitation of the scope of the present invention isintended.

The term “vitamin” as used herein refers to and includes all thoseorganic compounds that are known to be essential to and/or used byanimals to help regulate their metabolic processes but do not provideenergy or serve as building units. As examples, the better known membersof this class include vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin B complex, vitaminC, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, and vitamin P. Many premixes ofessential vitamins are available commercially for use in feeds forvarious animal species, including Microvit™ sold by Rhone-Poulenc AnimalNutrition and Custom Premixes sold by Animal Science Products. Theseparticular vitamins and vitamin sources are provided as examples only,and no limitation of the scope of the present invention is intended.

“Minerals” when used herein describes and includes those inorganiccompounds, whether natural or synthesized, that are required by animalsto carry out and/or regulate their metabolic processes. Various examplesof important mineral sources for animals include manganese, iodine,zinc, copper, cobalt, and iron compounds, and mineral salts such asdicalcium and tricalcium phosphate and monoammonium phosphate. Those ofskill in the art of animal nutrition will recognize that, although theprecise desired mineral source for a particular application is notlisted above, the present invention nonetheless contemplates theinclusion of such desired mineral source.

“Yeast” as used herein refers to any animal-edible unicellular organismbelonging to the family Saccharomycetaceae. One particularly popularsource of yeast for animal feeds is dried brewer's yeast. Again, thepresent invention contemplates and intends that all organisms, howeverprepared, meeting the foregoing definition come within the scope of thisinvention.

The present description uses the term “animal or vegetable proteinsources” to mean and include animal-edible nitrogen sources. Examples ofsuitable protein ingredients include dried blood and meat meal fromrendering plants, cottonseed meal, soybean meal, rapeseed meal, canolameal, sunflower meal, dehydrated alfalfa, dried and sterilized animaland poultry manure, fish meal, fish solubles, cell cream, corn glutenmeal, feather meal, dried brewer's grains, and distiller's dried grains.As with all the foregoing definitions, the present recitation ofexamples is for the skilled artisan's reference only, and no limitationon the scope of the present invention is intended by the inclusion ofthese specific examples.

Preferably, the balance of the present milk replacer and dry feedcompositions comprises whey, corn, vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes.In the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, the dry feedis tailored more specifically to the needs of the particular species ofyoung animal to be fed and is pelletized for greater nutrientavailability and palatability. The preferred embodiments of the milkreplacer composition do not have to be tailored to the particularspecies, and therefore they may be formulated to have the same or highlysimilar compositions across species lines.

While the foregoing constitutes a general description of the dietarycompositions of the present invention, the following are specificexamples of preferred compositions according to the present invention.The specific examples are provided for purposes of illustrating theinvention and no limitations on the invention are intended thereby.

One specific example is related to dairy calves. A preferred embodimentof the milk replacer composition of the present invention has thefollowing formulation:

Percentage by Ingredient Weight Dried Inedible Egg Product 60.00 DriedWhey 30.00 Ground Yellow Corn 8.75 Vitamin Premix 0.15 Vitamin E 0.05Trace Minerals 0.05 Calcium carbonate 1.00 Total 100.00

A preferred embodiment of the dry feed composition of the presentinvention for use with dairy calves has the following formulation:

Ingredient Percentage Dried Inedible Egg Product 36.00 Dried Whey 12.50Ground Yellow Corn 50.25 Vitamin Premix 0.15 Vitamin E 0.05 TraceMinerals 0.05 Calcium carbonate 1.00 Total 100.00

As discussed above, the raising of calves on a traditional milk replaceris difficult for the herdsman as currently available formulated productsare not nutritionally equivalent to the mother's milk, a great deal oflabor is necessary to hand feed the animals, and the young animalsfrequently fail to thrive on these nutritionally deficient products. Incontrast to these problems experienced with prior art milk replacers,milk replacer compositions according to the present invention yield anincreased survival rate, an increased rate of growth, and increasedoverall well being of young animals over that of animals fed aconventional milk replacer diet. In addition, young animals fed thepresent milk replacer composition transfer more quickly to solid feed,thereby reducing the overall labor required by the caretaker, includingfood preparation time and hand feeding.

The following table and the graph in the Figure demonstrate the abilityof the milk replacer compositions of the present invention tosignificantly increase the growth rates of animals fed thesecompositions over the growth rates experienced by animals fed aconventional milk replacer. As used in the following table and the graphin the Figure, the term “Egg” refers to and is intended to comprise themilk replacer composition embodiments of the present invention, and the“Pelleted Dry Feed Composition” term refers to and comprises the dryfeed composition embodiments of the instant invention.

TABLE 1 Growth and Performance of Calves Fed Formula in 2 Quarts WaterPlus a Pelleted Dry Feed Composition (Free Choice) for 18 Days Aver- ageDaily Calf Weight Weight Gain ADG num- at at (per (by Formula ber startfinish calf) group) 8 ounces (oz) Egg + 1.5 oz 2 85 98 0.72 Lecithin 395 114 1.06 0.89 4 oz Egg + 4 oz conventional 10 87 103 0.89 milkreplacer (CMR) 11 95 103 0.44 0.67 7 oz Egg + 1.5 oz CMR + 4 87 98 0.611.5 oz Lecithin 5 98 108 0.56 0.58 4 oz Egg + 4 oz CMR + 1 T 7 75 850.56 Lecithin 8 80 90 0.56 9 72 76 0.22 0.44 8 oz CMR 1 82 83 0.06 6 10588 −0.94 12 105 106 0.06 13 87 99 0.67 14 71 89 1.00 15 75 91 0.89 0.29

These improvements in animal health and growth rates are directlyattributable to the nutritional profile of high quality inedible eggproducts according to the present invention. Fresh eggs are known to bea rich source of high quality protein. The egg white or albumen has avery high biological value in the amount and balance of amino acids. Eggalbumen is frequently used as a reference to compare proteins from othersources when feeding animals such as the rat, mouse, chick, and others.The amino acid composition of whole hen's egg is used as the recommendedprofile for the Food and Agriculture Organization's (1965) chemicalscore for required amino acids in protein (Galyean and Cotteril, 1995).High quality inedible egg products also contain various naturallyoccurring compounds with antimicrobial activity including, but notlimited to, lysozyme that acts to hydrolyze β(1-4) glycosidic bonds inbacterial cell walls; ovotransferrin that acts to chelate Fe3+, Cu3+,Mn2+, Co2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, and Ni2+ to thereby render the mineralsunavailable to bacteria until released by digestion of protein; avidinknown to bind biotin thereby rendering it unavailable to bacteria untilreleased by digestion of protein; ovoflavoprotein known to bindriboflavin thereby rendering it unavailable to bacteria until releasedby digestion of protein; and ovomucoid known to inhibit the action ofvarious enzymes.

There is a considerable reduction in the number of cases of diarrheawhen young animals are fed the instant mild replacer invention. Thisreduction is due in large part to the beneficial antimicrobial compoundsfound in the high quality inedible egg fraction. A positive lowering ofthe pH in the stomach at an early age has also been observed. A low pHin the stomach is important to stop unsuitable bacteria from passingthrough the stomach whereupon it may cause diarrhea.

The following table demonstrates the ability of the milk replacerembodiment of the present invention to not only prevent diseases such asscours in calves, but to actually cure the calf of scours once an animalhas contracted this disease.

TABLE 2 Health of Calves Fed Egg Diet and/or Conventional Milk ReplacerGroup A B C D # in Group 10 9 6 8 Colostrum 2x daily for 2x daily for 2xdaily for 2x daily for 3 days 3 days 3 days 3 days Conventional 2x dailyfor Milk 4 days Replacer Scours @ No Scours No Scours 6 No Scours 7 daysLiquid Egg 2x daily for 2x daily for 2x daily for 2x daily for Diet 11days 11 days 7 days 11 days Scours @ 14 No Scours No Scours No Scours NoScours days

Conventional milk replacers cannot prevent, much less cure, an animal ofdiarrhea once an animal has contracted the disease. The general healthof calves fed the milk replacer composition of the present invention isexcellent as shown by the total lack of scours in the foregoing results.Additionally, the fact that calves that did develop scours were promptlycured when changed to the milk replacer of the present inventiondemonstrates the significant advantages to the herdsman of feeding theinstant invention.

Similarly, it has been observed that calves fed the pelletized feed ofthe present invention are healthier and put on weight faster than theirconventionally fed counterparts. This is especially true when the dietprogram embodiment of the present invention is employed.

The diet program embodiment of the present invention provides younganimals with sources of nutrition that yield significant growth andhealth improvements over conventional milk replacer and dry feed diets,as is demonstrated by the following data. In the experiment from whichthis data was collected, one group of young calves was fed a dietprogram according to the present invention and a control group of calveswas fed a conventional milk replacer formula known as liquid milkreplacer sold by Wayne Feeds according to the following schedule.

TABLE 3 Application of Inventive Diet Program Age Formula Frequency 0 to2 days Mother's colostrum ad libitum 2 to 3 times per day 3 to 14 days 8ounces dry egg in 2 quarts 2 times per day water At 5 to 7 days Pelletedegg feed plus grains Free choice At about 7 to 8 days Reduce to morningfeeding At about 12 to 14 Wean from liquid days feed At about 3 weeksIncrease grain feed Free choice At about 6 weeks Change to conventionaldiet Free choice

The following table illustrates the significant difference in growthrates between calves fed the instant diet program versus those fed aconventional milk replacer.

TABLE 4 Weight (pounds) of Young Calves Fed Inventive Diet ProgramCompared with Weight of Young Calves Fed Conventional Milk ReplacerGroup A B Difference Treatment Fed Egg Diet Control Diet 2 days of age80 80 — 63 days of age 280 175 105

This substantially increased rate of weight gain could not be expectedbased on the teachings of the prior art. The rapid weight gain caused byfeeding the present inventive compositions increases yields anddecreases operating costs to the herdsman compared with traditional dietand husbandry methods.

Another specific application of the diet program of the presentinvention is directed to young pigs. A preferred embodiment of the milkreplacer composition of the present invention has the followingformulation:

Percentage by Ingredient Weight Dried Inedible Egg Product 98.75 VitaminPremix 0.15 Vitamin E 0.05 Trace Minerals 0.05 Calcium carbonate 1.00Total 100.00

A preferred embodiment of a dry feed composition of the presentinvention for use with weanling piglets has the following formulation:

Ingredient Percentage Dried Inedible Egg Product 36.00 Ground YellowCorn 62.75 Vitamin Premix 0.15 Vitamin E 0.05 Trace Minerals 0.05Calcium carbonate 1.00 Total 100.00

A second preferred embodiment of a dry feed composition of the presentinvention for use with weaned piglets includes the followingformulation:

Ingredient Percentage Dried Inedible Egg Product 5.00 Ground Yellow Corn93.75 Vitamin Premix 0.15 Vitamin E 0.05 Trace Minerals 0.05 Calciumcarbonate 1.00 Total 100.00

As discussed above with respect to calves, the raising of young pigs ona traditional milk replacer is difficult for the producer as currentlyavailable formulated products are not nutritionally equivalent to themother's milk, a great deal of labor is necessary to hand feed theanimals, and the young animals frequently fail to thrive on thesenutritionally deficient products. In contrast to these problemsexperienced with prior art milk replacers, egg-based feed compositionsaccording to the present invention yield an increased survival rate, anincreased rate of growth, and increased overall well being of younganimals over that of animals fed a conventional milk replacer diet. Inaddition, young animals fed the milk replacer composition according tothe present invention transfer more quickly to solid feed, therebyreducing the overall labor required by the caretaker, including foodpreparation time and hand feeding.

One approach in addressing the deficiencies of prior art milk replacersfor segregated early weaning of piglets has been to provide milkreplacer compositions that include porcine plasma protein. Plasmaenhanced milk replacer and feed compositions are employed duringpost-weaning of piglets that are weaned at 14 to 16 days and raised in asegregated early weaning environment. Early weaned piglets only have thegamma globulin obtained from colostrum milk and are not capable ofproducing gamma globulin for 1 to 2 weeks post-weaning. Porcine plasmais rich in immunoglobulins and amino acids, and the pattern of aminoacids closely aligns to the needs of the segregated early weanedpiglets.

As used in the following Tables 5-11, the term “Spray Dried Egg” refersto and is intended to comprise the high quality inedible egg embodimentsof the present invention. As for methodology for the diet programslisted in Table 5, one hundred sixty-eight pigs weaned at 14 to 16 dayshaving initial weights averaging 9.9 pounds were placed in nurseryunits. Each pen was designated as an experimental unit. Pigs wereallotted by weight and gender, 6 pigs per pen and 7 replications pertreatment, and placed on plastic slotted floors in an environmentallycontrolled room. The initial room temperature was 34° C., whichtemperature was reduced by 1.5° C. per week thereafter. Each pen was 4.9feet×4.9 feet, and pigs had ad libitum access to feed and water. Pigswere weighed at 10, 24, and 38 days postweaning to evaluate gain, feedintake, and feed efficiency.

Nursery units of pigs were randomly allotted to four experimental dietscontaining the major ingredients corn, soybean meal, dried whey, andyellow swine grease allotted as indicated in Table 5. In the fourexperimental diets, the spray dried eggs were substituted for 0%, 33⅓%,66⅔% and 100%, respectively, of the plasma protein. The substitution ofspray dried egg for plasma protein was made on an equal protein basis,which substitution recognized that plasma protein has 78% proteincontent while spray dried eggs have 44% protein content. The Phase 1diets were fed for 10 days.

TABLE 5 Phase 1 Diet Composition. Diet Number 1-1 2-1 3-1 4-1 SprayDried Eggs 0 4.13 8.27 12.41 Plasma Protein 7.0 4.67 2.33 0 Corn 36.634.49 32.69 30.78 Reg. Soybean Meal 29.5 29.8 28.8 29.9 Whey 15.0 15.015.0 15.0 Yellow Grease 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 DiCal Phos. 1.51 1.51 1.51 1.51Limestone 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 Salt .25 .25 .25 .25 ZnO .38 .38 .38 .38DL Methionine .10 .10 .10 .10 Antibiotic^(a) 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 SwineVit. Mix^(b) .25 .25 .25 .25 Swine TM Mix^(c) .12 .12 .12 .12 Se 600Mix^(d) .05 .05 .05 .05 Lysine 1.55 1.55 1.55 1.55 Meth/Cys .85 .85 .85.85 Ca 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 P 80 80 80 80 ^(a)Mecadox, 50 g/ton.^(b)Supplied the following per pound of diet: 2750 IU Vitamin A, 275 IUVitamin D₃, 20 IU Vitamin E, .016 mg Vitamin B₁₂, 2.77 mg Vitamin K, .91mg Mendaione, 3.2 mg Riboflavin, 10 mg d-Pantothenic Acid, 15 mg Niacin.^(c)Supplied the following per pound of diet: 11 ppm Cu, .40 ppm I, 116ppm Fe, 14 ppm Manganese, 116 ppm Zn. ^(d)Supplied .3 ppm Se per poundof diet.

In Phase 2 diets, the levels of plasma protein and spray dried egg werereduced by 50% as shown in Table 6. The Phase 2 diet programs were fedfor a 14-day period. For the Phase 3 diet programs, also shown in Table6, all pigs received the same diet for a 14-day period. The Phase 3diets contained neither plasma protein nor spray dried egg in order tomeasure sustaining effects of the ingredients included for reasons otherthan contribution of nutrients. Tables 7 and 8 provide a summary of thediet variables for each of the four diet programs of Phase 1 and Phase2.

TABLE 6 Phase 2 and Phase 3 Diet Composition. Phase 2 Phase 3 DietNumber 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 3-0 Spray Dried Eggs 0 2.06 4.13 6.20 0 PlasmaProtein 3.50 2.34 1.16 0 0 Corn 31.32 30.32 29.38 28.42 29.04 Reg.Soybean Meal 37.75 37.85 37.90 37.95 43.9 Whey 15.0 15.0 15.0 15.0 15.0Yellow Grease 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 DiCal Phos. 1.18 1.18 1.18 1.18 2.11Limestone 2.10 2.10 2.10 2.10 .80 Salt .25 .25 .25 .25 .25 ZnO .38 .38.38 .38 .38 DL Methionine .10 .10 .10 .10 .10 Antibiotic 1.00 1.00 1.001.00 1.00 Swine Vit. Mix .25 .25 .25 .25 .25 Swine TM Mix .12 .12 .12.12 .12 Se 600 Mix .05 .05 .05 .05 .05 Lysine 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.45Meth/Cys .82 .82 .82 .82 .80 Ca 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.90 P 80 80 80 800.75

TABLE 7 Diet variables in Phase 1. Porcine Plasma Protein Spray DriedEgg Diet 1 7.0 0 Diet 2 4.67 4.13 Diet 3 2.33 8.27 Diet 4 0 12.41

TABLE 8 Diet variables in Phase 2. Porcine Plasma Protein Spray DriedEgg Diet 1 3.50 0 Diet 2 2.34 2.06 Diet 3 1.17 4.13 Diet 4 0 6.20

Table 9 provides a summary of the results of the growth performancedata. The growth performance data indicates that growth performance wasexcellent across all treatments with no statistically significantdifference (P<0.05) in the final weight after 38 days of the test.Treatment means for pig weights ranged from 43.5 to 45.6 pounds at thefinish of the experiment. There were no death losses on any treatmentduring the entire study. The four combinations of plasma protein andspray dried eggs supported similar gains.

During Phase 1, the first 10 days of the study, there was a small butsignificant (P<0.05) difference in daily gain, with the two higherlevels of plasma protein supporting greater gain. During the secondphase, a 14-day period, only the highest level of plasma proteinsupported greater gain, about 0.1 lb/day. During Phase 3, a 14-dayperiod, and for the overall 38-day period, there were no significant(P<0.05) differences in daily gain due to treatment.

Daily feed intake appeared to be lower during Phase 1 for the dietprogram in which all plasma protein was replaced with spray dried eggs,but the differences were not significant (P<0.05.) In Phase 2, feedintake appeared to decline as plasma protein was reduced, but only thediet with the lowest level of plasma protein was significantly different(P<0.01.) Daily feed intake for Phase 3 and for the overall 38 dayperiod were almost constant across the four diet programs.

Feed efficiency values were similar across all treatments during eachphase and for the overall experiment. Feed efficiency treatment meansranged from 1.46 to 1.53 for the entire 38-day study. The egg-based feedcomposition of the present invention maintained efficiency equal to thatattained with plasma protein enhanced feed compositions.

TABLE 9 Results of feeding trial^(c). Diet Program 1 2 3 4 SignificanceRatio of Spray Dried Plasma 3/0 2/1 1/2 0/4 Protein/Spray Dried EggProtein Initial Weight, lb 11.6 11.5 11.5 11.6 NS Final Weight, lb 45.5745.25 43.55 43.50 NS Daily Gain, lb Phase 1 .30^(a) .30^(a) .26^(b).22^(b) .05 Phase 2 .88^(a) .80^(b) .78^(b) .79^(b) .05 Phase 3 1.331.39 1.32 1.33 NS Overall .89 .89 .84 .84 NS Daily Feed, lb Phase 1 .52.50 .49 .39 NS Phase 2 1.42^(a) 1.32^(a,b) 1.27^(a,b) 1.24^(b) .01 Phase3 1.86 1.92 1.88 1.81 NS Overall 1.34 1.32 1.29 1.23 NS Feed/Gain RatioPhase 1 1.71 1.65 1.89 1.78 NS Phase 2 1.61 1.65 1.64 1.57 NS Phase 31.40 1.37 1.42 1.36 NS Overall 1.50 1.49 1.53 1.46 NS ^(a,b)Means withdifferent superscripts are significantly different. ^(c)Phase 1, 10days; Phase 2, 14 days; Phase 3, 14 days.

This study indicates that the egg-based feed composition of the presentinvention provides an excellent alternative for plasma protein whensubstituted on an equal protein basis. Combinations of the twoimmunoglobulin sources providing the same total protein was no betterthan either source fed separately. In addition, the egg-based feedcomposition of the present invention provides some additional energycompared to plasma-enhanced feed, as the egg-based product containsabout 25% fat.

These and the following results indicate that the egg-based feedcompositions of the present invention can achieve at least the samegrowth performance and feed efficiency as plasma-enhanced feedcompositions in segregated early weaned piglets. Advantageously thegrowth performance and feed efficiency enjoyed by the present inventioncan be obtained at a cost significantly less than that ofplasma-enhanced feed compositions. The results demonstrate the abilityof the egg-based feed compositions of the present invention to providean excellent alternative for plasma protein when substituted on an equalprotein basis.

Additional studies have compared the growth and efficiency rates createdby use of egg-based feed compositions of the present invention with therates created by us of plasma-enhanced feed compositions for weanedpigs. As shown in Table 10, the ten day study indicates that the dailygain and feed efficiency rates achieved when the test subjects were fedthe egg-based feed composition of the present invention was greater thanthe rates obtained from feeding a plasma-enhanced feed composition toweaned pigs.

TABLE 10 Spray Dried Eggs and Spray Dried Plasma in Diets for WeanedPigs* Spray Dried Spray Dried Eggs** Plasma** Swine Unit 1 (10 DayStudy) Daily gain, g 215 211 Daily feed, g 267 269 Feed/Gain 1.24 1.28Swine Unit 2 (7 Day Study) Daily gain, g 243 250 Daily feed, g 260 258Feed/Gain 1.07 1.03 *Pigs weaned at 28 days and started on test *Twentypigs per treatment at each site **8% spray dried eggs or 5% spray driedplasma

The results of another feed efficiency study are presented in Table 11.Thirty-six piglets were present in each control group for this study.The diet variables between each group were the presence of plasma or eggin the feed composition and the amount of egg in the feed composition.The control diet lacked any plasma or egg, which ingredients werereplaced with corn, soybean meal, and other typical feed ingredientsfortified with vitamins and minerals for a pig. In this study, the feedefficiency for pigs fed a diet containing the egg-based feed compositionof the present invention was about the same as or greater than the feedefficiency experienced by weaned pigs fed a diet containing aplasma-enhanced feed composition for three of the egg-based controlgroups.

TABLE 11 Spray Dried Eggs and Spray Dried Plasma in Diets for WeanedPigs Group Diet Variable Feed Efficiency Phase 1 (10 Days) 1 6% Plasma1.54 2 Control 1.63 3 4% Egg 1.76 4 8% Egg 1.95 5 12% Egg 1.97 Phase 2(14 Days) 1 3% Plasma 1.61 2 Control 1.55 3 2% Egg 1.65 4 4% Egg 1.74 56% Egg 1.90 Phase 3 (14 Days) 1 Control 2.00 2 Control 2.04 3 Control1.98 4 Control 1.77 5 Control 1.94 Summary (38 Days) 1 1.79 2 1.805 31.835 4 1.775 5 1.929 36 pigs in each group

The ability of the egg-based feed compositions of the present inventionto achieve growth rates and feed efficiencies similar to or better thanthe rates and efficiencies obtained through use of plasma enhanced feedcompositions is directly attributable to the nutritional profile of highquality inedible egg products according to the present invention, whichpofile is discussed further above. This ability to lower costs andachieve the same or substantially the same results by replacingplasma-enhanced feed compositions with the egg-based feed compositionsof the present invention could not be expected based on the teachings ofthe prior art.

An additional benefit of the dry feed formula of the present inventionconcerns the efficiency with which the instant formulas may bepelletized. The inedible egg fraction contained in the dry formula beingpelleted serves as an excellent lubricant for the pelletizing apparatus.This makes the pelletizing equipment much more efficient than it is whenpelletizing conventional dry food formulations because it allows thepelletizing equipment to operate with a much lower power demand. Thislower power demand decreases manufacturing costs for pelletized feed,and results again in a benefit to the herdsman of decreased feed costsfor his or her animals. This also is an unexpected benefit of using highquality inedible egg products in a diet program for young animals.

Furthermore, the sugar content in the whey fraction of the preferredpelleted feed embodiments imparts desirable flavor and texturecharacteristics to the pellets that are formed. Pellets manufacturedaccording to the present invention are firmer and hold together betterthan traditional dry pellet formulations including whey.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that all feeding programsincorporating diet compositions according to the present invention mustbe devised to meet the developmental needs of the particular speciesbeing fed. Therefore, it is irrelevant what ingredients comprise thebalance of feeds containing less than 100% high quality inedible egg, solong as those ingredients meet the nutritional requirements of the younganimal for which the feed is intended. It is also irrelevant to thepresent invention when the skilled artisan decides to offer solid foodto the young animal to begin the weaning process, and it is irrelevantfrom which types of inedible egg the high quality inedible egg productis derived. What is relevant is that the various embodiments of thepresent invention are formulated to yield healthy young animals thatgrow quickly.

When young animals are fed the instant diet embodiments, whether or notthe instant diet program is used, the antimicrobial compounds andnutritive components present in the liquid or dry inedible egg fractionminimize or eliminate the need to feed drugs to the animals, and therebyminimize or eliminate the significant costs presently associated withtreating diseases in these animals. These compounds and nutritivecomponents are also capable of curing certain microbe-caused diseases.Further, both the liquid and dry foodstuffs have an excellent amino acidprofile, constitute rich sources of high quality protein, and are easyto digest. It is easy to pelletize compositions including a high qualityinedible egg fraction because the egg lubricates the machinery andreduces power consumption of the pelletizing apparatus. Newborn animalsfed compositions according to the present invention put on weightfaster, have an increased survival rate, and will convert more quicklyto solid food than animals fed a prior art feed composition.

While the invention has been described in detail in the foregoingdescription, the same is to be considered as illustrative and notrestrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferredembodiments have been shown and described, and that all changes andmodifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desiredto be protected.

What is claimed is:
 1. An egg-based food composition for increasing thegrowth rate and thereby reducing the animal husbandry costs associatedwith raising young pigs, consisting essentially of, by weight: highquality inedible egg from about 1% to 100%; and at least one ingredientselected from the group consisting of: milk product, cereal grain orcereal grain product, fruit pectin, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, urea,electrolyte, vitamin, mineral, yeast, and animal or vegetable proteinsource as the balance.
 2. The egg-based food composition of claim 1,wherein said egg-based food composition consists essentially of, byweight: high quality inedible egg from about 1% to about 15%; corn fromabout 85% to about 99%; vitamin mix from about 0.05% to about 0.25%vitamin E from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; mineral mix from about 0.01%to about 0.1%; and calcium carbonate from about 0.1% to about 2%.
 3. Theegg-based food composition of claim 1, wherein said egg-based foodcomposition consists essentially of, by weight: high quality inedibleegg from about 25% to about 45%; corn from about 55% to about 75%;vitamin mix from about 0.05% to about 0.25% vitamin E from about 0.01%to about 0.1%; mineral mix from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; and calciumcarbonate from about 0.1% to about 2%.
 4. The egg-based food compositionof claim 1, wherein said egg-based food composition consists essentiallyof, by weight: high quality inedible egg from about 97% to about 99.5%;vitamin mix from about 0.05% to about 0.25% vitamin E from about 0.01%to about 0.1%; mineral mix from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; and calciumcarbonate from about 0.1% to about 2%.
 5. A method of increasing thegrowth rate and thereby reducing animal husbandry costs associated withraising young pigs, comprising the steps of: preparing an egg-based milkreplacer for a young pig, consisting essentially of, by weight: highquality inedible egg from about 1% to 100%; and at least one ingredientselected from the group consisting of: milk product, cereal grain orcereal grain product, fruit pectin, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, urea,electrolyte, vitamin, mineral, yeast, and animal or vegetable proteinsource as the balance; and feeding said egg-based milk replacer to saidyoung pig until said young pig reaches an age at which it may be weanedfrom said egg-based milk replacer; wherein said egg-based milk replacerencourages growth in said young pig to thereby achieve a growth rate atleast equivalent to a growth rate experienced by a young pig fed atleast one of mother's milk and plasma-enhanced milk replacer.
 6. Themethod according to claim 5, and further comprising the steps of:preparing an egg-based dry feed for a young pig, consisting essentiallyof, by weight: high quality inedible egg from about 1% to 100%; and atleast one ingredient selected from the group consisting of: milkproduct, cereal grain or cereal grain product, fruit pectin,carbohydrate, fiber, fat, urea, electrolyte, vitamin, mineral, yeast,and animal or vegetable protein source as the balance; and feeding saidegg-based dry feed to said young pig until said young pig reaches an ageat which it may begin eating adult food, wherein said egg-based dry feedencourages growth in said young pig to thereby achieve a growth rate atleast equivalent to a growth rate experienced by a young pig fed atleast one of conventional dry feed and plasma-enhanced dry feedcomposition.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the egg-baseddry feed consists essentially of, by weight: high quality inedible eggfrom about 1% to about 15%; corn from about 85% to about 99%; vitaminmix from about 0.05% to about 0.25% vitamin E from about 0.01% to about0.1%; mineral mix from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; and calcium carbonatefrom about 0.1% to about 2%.
 8. The method according to claim 5, andfurther wherein said egg-based milk replacer imparts disease resistanceto said young pig to thereby achieve disease resistance at leastequivalent to that found in a young pig fed at least one of mother'smilk and plasma-enhanced milk replacer.
 9. The method according to claim5, wherein the egg-based milk replacer consists essentially of, byweight: high quality inedible egg from about 97% to about 99.5%; vitaminmix from about 0.05% to about 0.25% vitamin E from about 0.01% to about0.1%; mineral mix from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; and calcium carbonatefrom about 0.1% to about 2%.
 10. A method of increasing the growth rateand thereby reducing animal husbandry costs associated with raisingyoung pigs, comprising the steps of: preparing an egg-based dry feed fora young pig, consisting essentially of, by weight: high quality inedibleegg from about 1% to 100%; and at least one ingredient selected from thegroup consisting of: milk product, cereal grain or cereal grain product,fruit pectin, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, urea, electrolyte, vitamin,mineral, yeast, and animal or vegetable protein source as the balance;and feeding said egg-based dry feed to said young pig until said youngpig reaches an age at which it may begin eating adult food, wherein saidegg-based dry feed encourages growth in said young pig to therebyachieve a growth rate at least equivalent to a growth rate experiencedby a young pig fed at least one of conventional dry feed andplasma-enhanced dry feed composition.
 11. The method according to claim10, and further wherein said egg-based dry feed imparts diseaseresistance to said young pig to thereby achieve disease resistance atleast equivalent to that found in a young pig fed at least one ofconventional dry feed and plasma-enhanced dry feed composition.
 12. Themethod according to claim 10, wherein the egg-based dry feed consistsessentially of, by weight: high quality inedible egg from about 1% toabout 15%; corn from about 85% to about 99%; vitamin mix from about0.05% to about 0.25% vitamin E from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; mineralmix from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; and calcium carbonate from about0.1% to about 2%.
 13. An egg-based food composition for increasing thegrowth rate and thereby reducing the animal husbandry costs associatedwith raising young pigs, comprising: high quality inedible egg fromabout 1% to less than 100%; and at least one ingredient selected fromthe group consisting of: milk product, cereal grain or cereal grainproduct, fruit pectin, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, urea, electrolyte,vitamin, mineral, yeast, and animal or vegetable protein source as thebalance.
 14. The egg-based feed composition of claim 13, wherein saidcomposition comprises: high quality inedible egg from about 1% to about15%; corn from about 85% to about 99%; vitamin mix from about 0.05% toabout 0.25% vitamin E from about 0.0% to about 0.1%; mineral mix fromabout 0.01% to about 0.1%; and calcium carbonate from about 0.1% toabout 2%.
 15. The egg-based feed composition of claim 13, wherein saidcomposition comprises: high quality inedible egg from about 25% to about45%; corn from about 55% to about 75%; vitamin mix from about 0.05% toabout 0.25% vitamin E from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; mineral mix fromabout 0.01% to about 0.1%; and calcium carbonate from about 0.1% toabout 2%.
 16. The egg-based feed composition of claim 13, wherein saidcomposition comprises: high quality inedible egg from about 97% to about99.5%; vitamin mix from about 0.05% to about 0.25% vitamin E from about0.01% to about 0.1%; mineral mix from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; andcalcium carbonate from about 0.1% to about 2%.
 17. The egg-based feedcomposition of claim 13, wherein said composition comprises: highquality inedible egg from about 1% to about 15%; corn from about 25% toabout 35%; soybean meal from about 25% to about 40%; whey from about 10%to about 20%; and yellow grease from about 5% to about 10%.
 18. A methodof increasing the growth rate and thereby reducing the animal husbandrycosts of raising young pigs, comprising the steps of: preparing anegg-based milk replacer for a young pig comprising high quality inedibleeggs; feeding said egg-based milk replacer to said young pig until saidyoung pig reaches an age at which it may be weaned from said egg-basedmilk replacer; wherein said egg-based milk replacer encourages growth insaid young pig to thereby achieve a growth rate at least equivalent to agrowth rate experienced by a young pig fed at least one of mother's milkand plasma-enhanced milk replacer; preparing an egg-based dry feed for aweaned young pig, comprising high quality inedible eggs; and feedingsaid egg-based dry feed to said weaned young pig until said weaned youngpig reaches an age at which it may begin eating adult feed, wherein saidegg-based dry feed encourages growth in said weaned young pig to therebyachieve a growth rate at least equivalent to a growth rate experiencedby a young pig fed one of conventional dry feed and plasma-enhanced dryfeed composition.
 19. The method according to claim 18, and furtherwherein said egg-based milk replacer and said egg-based dry feed impartdisease resistance to said young pig and said weaned young pig tothereby achieve disease resistance at least equivalent to that found ina young pig fed at least one of mother's milk and plasma enhanced foodcomposition.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein said egg-based milkreplacer further comprises at least one ingredient selected from thegroup consisting of milk product, cereal grain or cereal grain product,fruit pectin, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, urea, electrolyte, vitamin,mineral, yeast, and animal or vegetable protein source.
 21. The methodaccording to claim 20, wherein said egg-based milk replacer comprises:high quality inedible egg from about 97% to about 99.5%; vitamin mixfrom about 0.05% to about 0.25% vitamin E from about 0.01% to about0.1%; mineral mix from about 0.01% to about 0.1%; and calcium carbonatefrom about 0.1% to about 2%.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein saidegg-based dry feed further comprises at least one ingredient selectedfrom the group consisting of milk product, cereal grain or cereal grainproduct, fruit pectin, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, urea, electrolyte,vitamin, mineral, yeast, and animal or vegetable protein source.
 23. Themethod according to claim 22, wherein the egg-based dry feed comprises:high quality inedible egg from about 25% to about 45%; corn from about55% to about 75%; vitamin mix from about 0.05% to about 0.25% vitamin Efrom about 0.01% to about 0.1%; mineral mix from about 0.01% to about0.1%; and calcium carbonate from about 0.1% to about 2%.